CONNECTOR ASSEMBLIES WHICH COMPENSATE FOR THERMAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF TUBULAR CONDUITS

Abstract: The present invention relates to connector assemblies (10, 110) which compensate for the thermal expansion and contraction of tubular conduits (12, 112) within the connector assembly (10, 110). The connector assemblies (10, 110) typically include as their main components a tubular conduit (12, 112) which is susceptible to thermal expansion and contraction, a housing (14, 114) which may also be subject to thermal expansion or contraction, elements (16, 116) for internally sealing the connector assembly (10, 110) and a retainer element (18, 118) which locks the terminal end (24, 124) of the tubular conduit (12, 112) within the housing (14, 114). The tubular conduit (12, 112) is provided with radially outwardly extending annular bead (20, 120).

Description: CONNECTOR ASSEMBLIES WHICH COMPENSATE FOR THERMAL EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF TUBULAR CONDUITS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a connector assembly tor providing a swivelable connection, and more particularly, to a connector assembly which can be used in association with a variety of conduit structures which are susceptible to thermal expansion and contraction. In the piping industry, as well as for many other industries, the need exists tor low- cost, reliable and easy to assemble components This need is especially apparent with respect to providing a selectively detachable connection between fluid carrying conduits which allow for thermal expansion and contraction, thereby, relieving stress on connection junctions Many of the currently employed connectors involve disposing a male portion within a female portion such that the male portion is inserted deep within the female and some type of elastomeπc sealing means are disposed between the outer diameter of the male conduit and the inner diameter of the female conduit In other connections there are male members glued into female members, termination of piping by flanges that are bolted together (that includes sealing means), and many others Additionally, connector assemblies which are currently commercially available do not allow for the expansion and contraction of a male conduit within a female conduit Typically, the male conduit is designed to tit tightly within the temale housing along both the length and width dimensions to effectuate a fluid tight seal, or by flanges Under such "tight" arrangements, in the event that the connector assembly is subjected to conditions wherein either the male conduit or female housing expand or contract to any significant degree, there simply is no room to accommodate for any changes in the dimensions of either component As a result, torces are imposed upon the sealing assembly and the retainer assembly, thus, jeopardizing the integrity of the seal and the overall connection of the assembly Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved connector assembly for providing a swivelable quick connection between fluid conveying conduits which accommodates for thermal expansion and contraction of the pipe of the male and/or female connector. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide means for adapting standard beadless conduits to a form useful in a variety of connector assembly embodiments which accommodate for thermal expansion and contraction. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a male conduit with a bead assembly that can be applied quickly and easily in the field. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a swivelable connector assembly which provides for a determined amount of play by the male conduit within the female housing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the foregoing objects of the present invention, connector assemblies are provided which include a male conduit and a female housing which hosts the male conduit. According to one embodiment, the male conduit is provided with either a preformed or add¬ on type annular bead which extends radially outwardly from the outer diameter of the conduit. The annular bead includes a substantially transversely disposed blocking wall along one end which assists in maintaining a connection between the male conduit and the female housing. Also provided is an inwardly extending retainer member typically disposed into the inner diameter of the housing. The retainer member can have a variety of forms, including but not limited to a C-shaped snap ring embodiment which seats against an abutting wall of the female, and against an abutting wall provided on the male. Some type of fluid tight seal is also provided between the terminal first end of the male conduit and the inner diameter of the housing To accommodate tor thermal expansion ot the male conduit, and to a lesser degree the female housing, there is a longitudinal space provided between the retainer and the sealing means to accommodate shrinking of the male conduit, and a longitudinal space deeper in the connection in front of the sealing means to accommodate growth of the male conduit Or, if there is room in the female to accommodate the male, the male may be allowed to move relative to the sealing means to provide this latter accommodation in tront ot the sealing means This difference is length allows tor some play between the male conduit and the female housing Thus, if the male conduit expands or contracts within the female housing due to thermal considerations, there is still sufficient room for the male conduit notwithstanding the expansion Another embodiment is provided in accordance with the teachings of the present invention which also allows tor the thermal expansion and/or contraction of a male conduit within a female housing Under this alternative connector assembly embodiment, an external retainer member is utilized to maintain a connection between the male conduit and the female housing The external retainer is in the form of a hair pin retainer is utilized to operate against the blocking wall of the annular bead provided on the male conduit The hair pin retainer includes a pair ot spaced apart legs which are inserted through apertures provided in the enlarged diameter portion of the female housing after the male conduit has been inserted such that the radially outwardly extending annular bead surpasses the apertures Once the male conduit is in place within the female housing, the legs of the retainer are inserted through the aperture such that the legs extend across the inner diameter thus precluding the undesired withdrawal of the male conduit Of paramount importance is the amount of play offered between the male conduit and the temale housing. By "play. " it is meant that the male conduit has sufficient space within the inner diameter of the temale housing to expand and contract without jeopardizing either the seal assembly or the retention between the male conduit and female housing. Various types of annular bead structures, including preformed bead, snap-on rings, beads which are adhered or otherwise attached to the outer diameter of the tubular conduit after formation, and beads which are formed by expanding a portion ot the tubular conduit are considered to be useful in association with the retainer members of the present invention to accomplish a connection between the male conduit and female housing. Virtually any structure which includes a substantially transversely disposed blocking wall can be used as annular bead in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the detailed description ot the preferred embodiments which makes reference to the following set of drawings in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side elevational view, assembled and partially in cross-section of a connector assembly according to the teachings of the present invention. Figure 2 is a blown apart perspective assembly view of a second connector assembly embodiment according to the teachings of the present invention: and Figure 3 is a side elevation view, assembled and partially in cross-section of the connector assembly of Figure 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to Figure 1. a side elevational view partially in cross-section of a first connector assembly embodiment according to the teachings of the present invention is provided. The connector assembly 10 is generally comprised of a tubular conduit 12 adapted to convey fluid, a housing 14. means 16 for internally sealing the connector assembly, bushing 17, and a retainer element 18. The conduit is provided with an annular bead 20 which is either formed at the time of manufacturing the conduit, formed into the conduit sometime after initial formation or is in the form of a snap-on component as will be discussed below. Regardless of the annular bead configuration, the annular bead 20 includes a blocking wall 32 A which assists in precluding the undesired separation of the male conduit 12 from the female housing 14 upon connection of the two components. The housing 14 typically includes a first enlarged diameter portion 46 within which the terminal end 24 of the conduit is inserted, a second reduced diameter portion 56 and a transition portion 48 extending between the second diameter portion and a third diameter portion. At a predetermined point along the inner diameter 46 of the enlarged diameter portion 46, an annular recess 58 is provided for hosting the retainer element 18. As illustrated in Figure 1. the retainer element 18 is in the form of a radially outwardh expandable ring which has a relatively high tensile strength spring steel. The means 16 for internally sealing the connector assembly 10 can be in a variety of forms, including but not limited to elasto eric O-rings as shown at reference numeral 78 or a U-cup seal as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. While it is illustrated that the internal sealing is accomplished by disposing an O-ring over the terminal end 24 of the conduit 12 such that the O-ring extends between the outer diameter 38 of the conduit and the inner diameter 56. it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the sealing means may be partially embedded in the inner diameter 56 of the housing or the outer diameter 38 of the conduit to accomplish a "dynamic" seal as is known in the art As previously noted, the connector assembly 10 is specifically directed to compensating for the thermal expansion and contraction often encountered by fluid conveying systems With this in mind, assembly of the embodiment illustrated with reference to Figure 1 will now be described in further detail Initially the conduit 12 and housing 14 are brought together such that the terminal end 24 ot the conduit 12 is disposed within the inner diameter 55 Additionally, the annular bead 20 is positioned within the inner diameter 56 such that the blocking wall 32A has been inserted beyond the annular recess 58 With the conduit, bushing, and sealing means in place within the inner diameter of the housing, the retainer element 18 is positioned over the outer diameter 38 ot the conduit, or pre-assembled in position behind 32A. 12 and inserted in a partially compressed state into the inner diameter portion ot the housing until the retainer element 18 is aligned with the annular recess 58 Thereafter, the retainer element 18 is released, thus, allowing the retainer element 18 to expand radially outwardly to seat within the annular recess 58 As can be seen from a review of the figures, the length of the tubular conduit 12 from the blocking wall 32 A ot the annular bead 20 to the terminal end 24 ot the conduit 12 (designated as L,) is longer than the length of the female inside diameter 56 from the inwardly extending retainer member 18 to the transition portion 48 if you consider the width of bushing 17 and tube bead 20 (designated as L,) This difference in length allows the conduit to expand linearly in response to being subjected to conditions involving elevated temperatures ( I e heated fluids) without compromising the integrity ot the seal or retention of the male conduit within the female housing Likewise, the conduit 12 is allowed to contract along the central longitudinal axis 28 in response to reduced temperatures d e cold fluids) In addition to the linear expansion and contraction, the annular space, designated as reference numeral 34. provided between the outer diameter 38 of the conduit and the inner diameter 56 Referring to Figure 2, a blown apart perspective assembly view of a second connector assembly embodiment according to the teachings of the present invention is shown The connector assembly 1 10 is again generally comprised of a tubular conduit 1 12 adapted to convey fluid, a housing 114. means 1 16 for internally sealing the connector assembly , and a retainer element 1 18 The conduit 112 is provided with an outwardly projecting annular bead 120 in the form of a snap ring 122 which has an inverted U-shape in cross-section displaced from the connecting terminal end 124 of the conduit 1 12. The self closing ring 122 includes an outer surface 126. an inner surface 130, and two blocking walls 132A and 132B disposed substantially transversely to the central axis 128 (shown in Figure 3). that extend radially inwardly toward the center of the self closing ring Preferably, the self closing ring 122 is formed of a material, such as strip steel, which imparts springy characteristics and allows the ring to be selectively deformed. Ideally, the blocking walls 132 A and 132B become embedded within the material of the tubular conduit by disposing them along preformed annular grooves (not shown) or providing the self closing ring with sufficient unii force to cause displacement of the conduit material As ends 134 A and 134B of the snap ring come into contact, this so-called unit force is alleviated. To position the ring 122 on the conduit 112, a prying tool (not shown) is inserted between the ends 134 A and 134B and is rotated such that the ends are forced apart sufficiently to allow the inside diameter 136 of the ring to fit over the outside diameter 138 of the conduit The ring is then slid over the conduit and positioned for attachment Ideally, even with the ends 134A and 134B in contact, a slight gap is provided along the outer surface for receiving a prying tool. Ideally, the outer diameter 138 of the conduit within any annular grooves (it provided) will be approximately equal to the inner diameter of the inner surface ot the snap ring 122 when the πi.g :s attached over the conduit thus allowing the ends of the ring to torn, depressions in 138 Additionally, while a self closing ring having an inverted U-shape in cross-section is preferred, it should be understood to those skilled in the art that other snap ring embodiments such as flat snap rings can be employed Again referring to Figures 2 and 3. the housing 1 14 generally includes at least three integralh connected portions l.amel \ . an enlarged diameter portion 146. a reduced diameter portion 150 and third diameter portion 148 The housing 1 14 is provided with a plurality ot jpertures or openings 152 which are typically equidistantly spaced around the circumference of the enlarged diameter portion 146 The openings 152 are disposed such that they are capable ol receiving and positioning retainer 1 18 substantially transversely to axis 28 ot the conduit The retainer 1 18 is made from a resilient material, such as metal or plastic, and i comprised tit a pair of generally parallel elongated legs 160 joined at one end by a web 162. which provides a separation between the legs slightly wider than the outside diameter 138 of conduit Each retainei leg preferably has a width substantially equal to the width ot the opening so that forces exerted on the retainer 1 18 due to pull apart forces on the connector assembly 1 10 are transferred on to the retainer element by the blocking wall 132 A ot the self closing ring Located along the terminal ends 164 of each retainer leg are outwardly proiecting flanges 166 which snap under the edges 170 of the openings 152 upon being fully inserted therethrough to assist in retaining the connection between the tubular conduit 1 12 within the housing 1 14 Preferably, the outwardly projecting flanges 166 are tapered upwardly to include sloping lead wa s 168 which ride against the inner diameter 154 ot tht housing s enlarged diameter nortioi. thereby allowing the legs 160 to be compressed while passing tπrough the housing Upon complete attachment of the retainer 1 18 to the housing, a portion 172 of the retainer 1 18 extends into the bore portion 174 of the housing to assist in precluding the undesired separation ot the conduit from the housing The means 1 16 for internally sealing the connector assembly 1 10 are generally either inserted over the connecting end 124 of the conduit 112 or packed within the bore portion 174 of the housing prior to inserting the conduit therein Under the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the means 1 16 for internally sealing the connector assembly include a washer 176 which seats against the blocking wall 132B ot the annular bead 120 and an elastomeπc U-cup seal 178 The U-cup seal 178 as best illustrated in Figure 3 typically includes a pair ot spaced apart legs 180A and 180B extending substantially transversely from an annular web 182 The legs 180 A and 180B are spaced apart such that the outer leg 180 A seats against the inside diameter 156 and the inner leg 180B seats against the outside diameter 138 of the conduit 1 12 The legs 180A and 180B preterablv are disposed in the direction ot the reduced diameter portion 150 ot the housing While the U-cup seal is preferred, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that other sealing means such as the O-πng seals as utilized in the embodiment of Figure 1 can also be employed The length of the tubular conduit 1 12 from the blocking wall 132A ot the annular bead 120 to the terminal end 124 ot the conduit 1 12 (designated as L,) is shorter than the length ot the female housing 1 14 from the inwardly extending retainer member 1 18 to the end 186 of the diameter portion 158 within which the terminal end 124 of the conduit 112 is disposed This difference in length allows the conduit to expand linearly in response to being subjected to conditions involving elevated temperatures (I e heated fluids) without compromising the integrity of the seal or retention of the male conduit within the housing Likewise, the conduit 1 12 is allowed to contract along the central longitudinal axis 128 in response to reduced temperatures (i e cold fluids) As should now be clear to those skilled m the art. the connector assembly embodiments illustrated herein provide tor the thermal expansion and contraction of the male conduit, and to a lesser extent the female housing, without jeopardizing the integrity of the assembly's seal While the above detailed description describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be understood that the present invention is susceptible to modification, variation and alteration without deviating from the scope and fair meaning ot the subjoined claims

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1 A connector assembly, comprising a tubular conduit including a terminal first end. a temale housing including a bore portion tor receiving the terminal first end of said tubular conduit. means tor compensating tor dimensional changes such as expansion and contraction of the tubular conduit, the female housing or both relative to each other without compromising the sealing integrity of the assembly 2 The connector assemblv ot Claim 1. wherein said means tor compensating tor the thermal expansion and contraction ot the tubular conduit, the female housing or both relative to each other without compromising the sealing integrity of the assembly includes providing an unobstructed space along the bore portion within which said tubular conduit can expand and contract 3 The connector assembly ot Claim 2 which includes sealing means interposed between said conduit and said female housing 4 The connector assembly of Claim 3 wherein said conduit is movable relative to said sealing means 5 The connector assembly of Claim 3 wherein said sealing means is movable relative to said housing 6 The connector assembly ot Claim 3. further comprising means for precluding the undesired disconnection of said tubular conduit from said female housing. 7 The connector assembly of Claim 6. wherein said means for precluding the undesired disconnection ot said tubular conduit from said female housing includes a radially outwardly extending annular bead displaced a predetermined distance from the terminal end ot said tubular conduit, and a retainer element extending into the bore portion of said housing which contacts the annular bead to thereby preclude further separation of the conduit from the housing 8 The connector assembly of Claim 7 wherein said retainer element also includes means to prevent separation thereof from said housing 9 The connector assembly of Claim 7, wherein said retainer element further comprises a selectively compressible and expandable ring 10 The connector assembly of Claim 7 wherein said retainer element comprises a springing member 1 1 The connector assembly of Claim 7. wherein said retainer element further comprises a U-shaped retainer including a pair ot spaced apart legs extending from a web, said legs being msertable through openings provided in the temale housing such that the legs extend into the bore portion of the housing 12. The connector assembly of Claim 7 wherein said sealing means comprises at least one o-ring sealing element. 13. The connector assembly of Claim 1 1. wherein said spaced apart legs include outwardly projecting flanges which assist in locking the retainer element to the housing. 14. A connector assembly, comprising: a tubular conduit including a terminal first end and an annular bead extending radially outwardly from the outer diameter of said conduit, said annular bead being spaced a predetermined distance from said first end; a female housing including an inner diameter having a bore portion extending therethrough for receiving the terminal first end of said tubular conduit: sealing means disposed within said bore portion and extending between the outer diameter of said conduit and said inner diameter of the housing; a retainer element extending into said bore portion that contains said sealing means tor precluding the undesired withdrawal of conduit from said housing; and means for compensating for dimensional changes such as expansion and contraction of the tubular conduit, female housing or both relative to each other, said means including providing an unobstructed space along the bore portion within which said tubular conduit can expand and contract. 15. The connector assembly of Claim 14. wherein said retainer element further comprises a selectively compressible and expandable ring. 16. The connector assembly of Claim 14, wherein said retainer element further comprises a U-shaped retainer including a pair of spaced apart legs extending from a web. said legs being insertable through openings provided along said female housing such that said legs extend into the bore portion of said housing. 17. The connector assembly of Claim 14. wherein said spaced apart legs include outwardly projecting flanges which assist in locking the retainer element to the housing.

Inventors: BARTHOLOMEW DONALD D, BARTHOLOMEW, DONALD, D.
Applicants: BARTHOLOMEW DONALD D, PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY INC, BARTHOLOMEW, DONALD, D., PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: F16L37
IPC codes: F16L27